A late-summer tree checklist you can do from the ground

The storms that roll through southeastern Wisconsin between now and October are usually the strongest of the year, and they arrive when trees are carrying their heaviest load of leaves. Most of the damage we get called about in September was visible from the driveway in August. Here are five things you can check yourself this week — no ladder, no tools, just a slow walk around each big tree.

1. Bare branches in a green canopy

Stand back and look up. Leafless branches in an otherwise full crown are deadwood, and deadwood is the first thing wind removes. If a dead limb is bigger around than your wrist and hangs over the roof, the driveway, or anywhere people sit — that's the one to deal with first. (Why deadwood fails first, and what pre-storm work actually helps, is covered in our storm-proofing guide.)

2. Dark seams where big limbs meet

Look at the junctions where major limbs leave the trunk. A dark seam or crack running down from a tight V-shaped union is a warning: those unions are the most common failure we cut apart after a storm. A double-trunk maple or oak with a pinched seam deserves a professional look — often a cable installed now is what saves the whole tree later.

3. Mushrooms at the base

Shelf-like fungus growing from the root flare or lower trunk usually means decay inside the wood. A tree can look perfectly healthy up top and be hollow where it matters most. Of everything on this list, this is the one we'd ask you to call about the same week you spot it.

4. Anything that changed this year

New construction, a trench for utilities, a regraded driveway, a pool install — anything that cut roots in the last few years weakens a tree's anchor long before the canopy shows it. If a big tree stands within twenty feet of recent digging, mention it when you call; it changes what we look for.

5. Leaves browning early on one limb

One branch wilting or browning in August while the rest of the tree looks fine can be the first visible sign of disease — and on oaks it's worth taking seriously. Don't prune it yourself: in Wisconsin, pruning oaks between April and October invites oak wilt. The when-to-prune-oaks guide explains the timing; the short version is that routine oak work waits for winter.

Found something on the list?

Take a photo from the ground and send it with an estimate request — Paul reads them directly, and a photo is usually enough to tell you whether it's a this-week problem or a this-winter problem. Checking is free; the storm doesn't charge by the hour either, but its rates are worse.

Johannes Tree Care — certified arborists, southeastern Wisconsin.